How It Should Be
by Mononoke-hime x sukai kurora
Summary: AU. Kirigakure was successful in attacking Konohagakure in the Third Shinobi World War. However, despite the destruction from the Three Tails, there were thirteen survivors, including the jinchuukiri Rin Nohara and her mokuton-weilding teammeate Obito Uchiha. Will they survive and find a home again?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Rin tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't. Whenever she opened them, she could only see the wake of destruction before her. She could only see Konohagakure burning, its shinobi and citizens dying. It was caused by _her_. Rin felt unbidden tears streaking down her cheeks, staring at the flames engulfing the village she loved, and of the countless bodies before her. One of them was beside her feet, his body growing cold. Rin had once looked at his still and bloodied face in adoration and love – something she would never feel again now, she was certain.

Her head bowed, Rin trembled and swallowed a scream trying to force itself out of her throat. She continued to tremble and cry as she stared at the prone dead body of Hatake Kakashi.

"Kakashi…" she whispered. Rin's clouded eyes gazed at the sky. It was now raining. The rain that had doused the flames now dampened her hair and her skin. The blood from Kakashi's body slowly flowed away, but Rin's tears still lingered. Or was it the rain? Rin stared dully at the scene before her. The bodies of the shinobi coming home from the war that had killed their comrades had died so soon after coming home. It made Rin want to weep again. _How could I weep for them? For…it was I…who caused this. _Several days earlier, the Konohagakure kunoichi had been kidnapped by Kirigakure. Against her will, Rin had been made into a jinchuukiri – the vessel for the Three Tails. When Kakashi had tried to rescue her, she had warned him that Kirigakure had the malice intent to use the Three Tails to attack the village. "_I swore to Obito…that I'd protect you no matter what…what you're asking me to do is impossible…I'll find another way."_

_Kakashi…_ Rin thought again of the shinobi who had sacrificed his life along with many others who had stopped the Three Tails' rampage; but by then it was too late. Everything and everyone had died. All that was left was a deep crater with debris and fire. Rin wasn't even certain if anyone had survived. _It would be fitting,_ she thought despairingly._ A monster like me should be alone in the world._ She had tried to stop the Three Tails from coming free, but the tailed beast would not relent and unleashed his fury on all living things.

Rin continued to sob as rain continued to splash down on her face. It was all for naught. She had been prepared to die rather than to harm the village and the people she loved, and had charged right in front of Kakashi so that his Raikiri would pierce her heart and she would die. Rin hadn't thought about being a hero; she was simply trying to do the best she could to protect all that she loved. _I…failed._ Kakashi killed the Kirigakure shinobi instead, and believed that _Kushina-__san_'s seal would hold. The red paint from the seal was still wet against Rin's skin, and this time, it seemed, the seal held. At the cost of so many lives. _Everyone…_

Rin didn't feel her legs weaken or her knees falling into a bloodied puddle. She was only aware of the weeping sky above her. Suddenly the pale jinchuukiri felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and turned to find herself looking at her scarred teammate.

"Obito…" Rin muttered dully. She had dreamed of this moment many times. _I had a dream that he survived the mission, and I hugged him._ Now all Rin wanted to do was to curl up in a ball and die. Somehow Obito had survived the mission that she and the rest of Konohagakure thought claimed his life. Her teammate hadn't shared the details, but he had said that he was saved and healed by an unlikely man. Obito's plump and naive face was thin, and a ripple of scars covered the left side of his body. There was a new aura about him, too. Rin could not yet place it. Once Rin would have embraced Obito and smiled at him. Now the ghost of the girl she had been only stared dully at him.

"Rin…" Obito whispered. His voice had changed too into a more mature and deeper tone._ Is that because of what happened today? Of what I caused?_ "You and I aren't the only ones who survived." For a moment Rin remained immune from Obito's words. Then she felt a shock coursing inside her.

"There…are survivors?"

"_Hai_," Obito nodded grimly. "Eleven others, including three children."

Rin had thought that her tears had stopped flowing, but she was wrong. Tears began to flow in earnest as she wept from relief and joy. Rin was vaguely aware of Obito's warm embrace as he held her as she wept into his shoulder. Out of all the deaths and destruction that had occurred – Minato-sensei, Kakashi, her parents, the Sandaime Hokage, and now the infinite numbers of the nameless shinobi and civilians – there were still the flames of hope.


	2. Devastation

_Devastation_

_ An hour earlier…_

Uchiha Obito hastily trailed after his teammates. He saw Kakashi's silver hair and Rin's dark brown flowing in the wind. Although the Uchiha was only a few meters behind them, Kakashi's usual brilliant shinobi skills did not sense Obito following them. _It must be Rin, _Obito thought as he stared at the kunoichi in Kakashi's arms. She seemed smaller than he remembered her being, and Obito's heart wavered when he saw her eyes. They seemed to pass through him completely, and were drowning in despair. _What the hell happened out there? _Obito had only seen Kakashi kill countless of Kirigakure shinobi before he picked up Rin in his arms and ran towards the border where the village was located. A forbidden feeling rose inside Obito, and he couldn't ignore it as Konohagakure came closer into view. The familiar sights of long green grass and clear blue skies blinded him for an instant. The sight of trees and people down below made Obito realized how much he missed the Land of Fire.

The chūnin-level shinobi had been thought dead when a boulder collapsed on him as his teammates ran to safety. None of them had perceived Obito being rescued and healed by none other than Uchiha Madara. Obito remembered his own shock and disbelief at his ancestor's words. Uchiha Madara was thought of as dead, killed by the Shodaime Hokage. It seemed that the young and old shinobi had more in common that they themselves had thought. The words rang inside Obito's head. _What did he mean…? _But Obito had no more time to think, for the village of Konohagakure was in sight. He watched as Kakashi continuously carried Rin to the entrance to the village as he concealed himself with one of the branches. His dark eyes widened as he witnessed Rin pushing Kakashi away with a hard shove, causing the silver-haired shinobi to collapse on the ground. He saw Rin's lips move frantically as she fell onto her knees and shook. Obito was about to reveal himself when he saw Rin's body becoming covered with chakra. The power seeping from it made Obito recoil, and his Sharingan revealed the malice and hatred within the chakra. An inhuman scream rising to a wail echoed in Obito's ears as the chakra coating Rin's body exploded and rose. It seemed then that Obito ceased to breathe. His eyes widened even wider as Rin disappeared and a red and blue turtle met his stare.

_Three…tails?_ The three tails emerging from the turtles back seemed larger than its body. Somehow the volume of chakra only increased as the creature continued to live its existence. Suddenly Obito felt the hatred and malice seeping from it, and was about to turn back when the turtle gave a huge roar. The roar echoed in Obito's ears long after the echoes had faded. At the corner of his eye, he saw the turtle trying to crush a stunned Kakashi with its feet, and Obito swiftly grabbed Kakashi by the hand and lifted him up into the tree as the creature continued its destruction. Obito felt Kakashi eye his robed figure curiously, and removed his hood.

"…Obito?" Kakashi was shaken. His teammate saw him swallow, and try to speak again without much success. The former expressionless face that Obito had known was brimming with emotion.

"We don't have time, Kakashi." Obito's voice was strangely curt as he saw the beast continue to bring destruction across its path. Now Obito let Kakashi see his scarred face; the gray eyes of his teammate widened. "We have to stop whatever it is that's causing Rin to behave this way."

"It's not Rin, Obito." Kakashi's voice was monotone. "It's the Three Tails." Obito stared at his reunited friend, not understanding. "The Kirigakure shinobi forced Rin to become the container of the Three Tails to destroy the village." Suddenly his voice caught as his glazed eyes stared at the Three Tails' massive form. "She tried to tell me…but I didn't listen. I wanted to keep my promise to you."

Obito remembered the promise very well. It had been his last words – or so they all thought. He closed his eyes and thought. Obito had sacrificed his body to protect his friends. He would do the same for the village, if need to be. His eyes opened and they hardened when he spoke to Kakashi.

"You can still keep that promise, Kakashi. Rin's not dead yet, nor am I. We need to save the village, _and _save Rin. We can do that." Obito crouched down to Kakashi's knees and continued to speak. "I know we can." Abruptly Obito stood and fingered the only weapon he had in his arsenal – a kunai.

"Obito...you…" Kakashi seemed breathless. Obito could imagine the shock plastered on his face. _He didn't expect me to be alive, nor expect me to say those words. _Suddenly the Three Tails gave a huge roar, and a mass of dark chakra focused in its mouth. Then it was released, its speed rapidly colliding with the village. Debris and dust surrounded Obito's vision as he stared open-mouthed at what had been the heart of the village. Nothing remained of the structures that had once stood; half of the Hokage tower that Obito had hoped that he would one day occupy was gone; and millions of bodies lied on the ground.

A fierce rage at what the Three Tails had done infuriated Obito. He didn't look back at Kakashi to see if he was still following him, and ran as fast as he could to the Three Tails.

"_Obito!" _The Uchiha didn't hear his friend calling him. His only focus was on the beast before him, and punched in the direction of the three tails. The punch didn't hit. Obito's shocked face was frozen as he witnessed another ball of chakra colliding in another direction of the village as his form seemingly passed through the Three Tails. _"No!" _ Flames burst on impact, and Obito thought he could hear screams coming from them. Instant thoughts of his family and classmates burned in the tormented young man's mind. _"No!"_

Suddenly a branch grew from Obito's arm. It grew and grew until it came in contact with the Three Tail's scales. The beast howled in pain as Obito stared in amazement. He stared at the branches coming from his arm. They almost seemed to be a part of him. Blood was seeping out of the Three Tail's body, and as the blood dripped onto the ground, an image of Rin appeared in Obito's mind. The shinobi instantly withdrew. The Three Tails continued to howl with pain as blood continued to rain down on Obito, and the dark-eyed shinobi was surprised to find Kakashi right beside him.

"What are you doing, Obito?" Instantly, the memories of being told-off by Kakashi when they were a team resurfaced in Obito's mind. "Keep fighting it!"

"But...Rin…"

"If we don't act like we can kill it, we can never stop it! Besides, it's not Rin! I know she's in there somewhere! We just don't know where!"

The Three Tails was again preparing for another assault when Kakashi shoved Obito out of the way. "Rescue who's ever left, Obito! I'll distract him for now!"

Obito thought of his older brother and sister then, the ones who had raised him after their parents had died on a mission soon after he was born. _Will they recognize me after all they've been through? _Obito's _oniisan _had lost his teammates and _sensei _in the war, and Mikoto's young son had never recovered from the deaths he had witnessed at such a tender age. _Matte, oniisan, oneechan!_ Konohagakure shinobi, returned home from the war, threw various kunai and weapons at the Three Tails in vain. Obito saw the Sandaime Hokage in a black jumpsuit and a bandanna-like Konohagakure forehead protector, something that Obito hadn't seen before. However, the young shinobi had no time to stare at the ensuing battle between the Three Tails and the shinobi. He had to find his family.

Nothing remained of the Uchiha compound. Obito jumped through debris and fallen concrete, not believing what he was seeing. Blood was splattered on the fallen bodies across his path, and Obito felt fear quickly entangle him in its grasp. _Shininaide, onegai! _He could not imagine see his kind sister bleeding and dying before her child, and he could not imagine his brother dying either. They were both too strong for death. Obito shouted in the destroyed landscape to try to locate his older siblings, but all was for naught. The young shinobi was becoming fatigued and collapsed on his knees where he began to cry. Thick tears traveled down his cheeks, and Obito was broken out of his trance from a loud voice calling to him.

"Hey, Obito! We're not dead yet! So quit your tears and come help us!"

Obito visibly smiled despite the tears continuing to run down his face. He recognized the voice. _Kushina! _His _sensei _Minato had obviously fallen in love with the fiery kunoichi, and Obito visibly remembered their wedding, which had before the Kanabi Bridge mission. _Everything had been different then. _Kakashi had still been an aloof asshole instead of a self-sacrificing hero; Obito had been his naive and short-tempered self; and Rin had not been a jinchūkiri, hosting a beast that would destroy their village. An even earlier memory resurfaced in Obito's mind. He remembered meeting Kushina for the first time when he had been a very small child. She and his sister had been best friends since Academy days, and had been on the same genin team together. _"He reminds me of myself when I was his age, Mikoto! Always getting into things he's not supposed to!"_ Then she had bent down to his height and whispered in his tiny ear, _"That's what makes a good shinobi or kunoichi though." _Obito remembered that moment now as he raced to where the voice came from. He stopped to find Uzumaki Kushina, his sister, and four year old Uchiha Itachi huddled in a deep crater. None appeared to have injuries. "I told you he was alive, Mikoto," he heard Kushina say to his sister. Then her attention switched to him.

"What are you doing just standing there for? Do you have no idea how hard it is to be pregnant _and _to be stuck in a deep crater?" Obito slightly rolled his eyes at Kushina's sharp sarcasm and jumped into the hole.

"_Daijoubu, oneechan?" _Uchiha Mikoto had no immediate injuries that he could see, and she clutched her young son Itachi tightly despite her large eight-month pregnant belly. Obito breathed a sigh of relief. _So the baby's okay._ Mikoto continued to stare at him as if he was a ghost from the past, and shakily and gently stroked the scar across his face. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, and Obito gently smiled at her. As gently as he could, he carried his _oneechan_, Kushina, and Itachi with both of his arms. As Obito stood, he noticed of how Kushina had black rings under her eyes and was trying not to cry, and Mikoto's face was white as a sheet, and Itachi looked more like a child than he ever did. "What happened?"

"Minato died…by protecting us." Kushina's voice was pained and even Obito could see devastated she was. "He didn't have time to transport any of us to a safe place, so he shielded us with his very own body." Despite her pride, she gave a strangled sob. "I can still see him disappear into nothingness." Obito watched as his older sister comforted the grieving widow by having a hand on her arm.

"Obito…" her voice became vacant too. "Shisui died too when the Tailed Beast Ball destroyed our home. He was one of the first casualties." Despite tears flowing down her face, Mikoto's voice did not shake. Obito stared at his sister open-mouthed. _Shisui…? _He remembered his older brother's patient face as he explained something to Obito as a child, and telling him what a shinobi truly was. _"It is not based on skill, Obito. It is based on how well you can protect the village from the shadows." _Now Obito would never hear his voice again, and that made Obito want to weep. But he couldn't now. His Sharigan could see the Three Tails before him, and this time he ran without thought of disobeying Kakashi's orders.

Obito found Kakashi right beneath the Tailed Beast. The uniform he had worn was torn to shreds and was coated with blood. The hands that had once shed blood now were still. It seemed that Kakashi was sleeping. _No…_ Obito thought trembling. The body of the Sandaime Hokage was surrounded by countless other bodies, including many classmates Obito had known. Suddenly as the Three Tails roared and as Obito stood alive among the dead, he thought of Rin imprisoned inside the Three Tails, and felt a deep rage and power he didn't know he possessed come alive. He felt the branches come alive from his hands, and saw the Three Tails scream in agony. But Obito did not falter. He continued to push the branches in until he couldn't see them anymore. His hands were dark with blood. Suddenly the Three Tails gave a long mournful wail, and slowly disappeared as Rin surfaced. Obito caught his teammate in his arms, and felt her limp body against his own. She was unconscious. As the thoughts strayed to the devastation of Konohagakure and the lives lost, Obito slowly cried, stroking Rin's hair.


	3. To Endure

_ To Endure_

Obito carried Rin on his back. Her slight body weighed heavily against him, and he felt her subtle breaths in his ear. Before, her breaths had been erratic and her body had trembled when he had first started carrying her, not long after the other survivors were found. Now Rin was still, her body spent and exhausted. Obito remembered holding Rin as she cried, mixing the tears with the blood splattered on his robe. _"There are...survivors?"_ The despair in her voice had made Obito want to weep. It still made him want to weep. He looked back behind him, and saw the others not far behind. At first, Obito hadn't want to leave the devastated Konohagakure. Seeing the flames rampage the village and reduce the bodies of the civilians and shinobi alike to ash, Obito had felt that it was their duty to bury the dead and rebuild the village. _"It would show Kirigakure that they hadn't won after all!"_ His words echoed in his ears, and he remembered Kushina, his sensei's wife, shaking her head. Although her hands had been smeared with red paint and was focused on sealing the Three Tails into Rin, she spoke calmly. _"What if Kirigakure finds out that their mission was only half successful? They would come to kill us, Obito, and the sacrifice made by Minato and the other shinobi would be for nothing."_ A tremor was heard in Kushina's voice when she spoke of her late husband. It reminded Obito of his older brother Shisui and of his family still alive. _"I don't care about this damn war anymore. I just…want my child to live."_ Kushina had risen then, and both of them had stared at the Four Symbols Seal that now graced Rin's stomach. The red paint swirled similar to a whirlpool and had unintelligible makings on it. It looked like calligraphy, Obito thought as he remembered. As a child, he had once watched Mikoto draw calligraphy and had attempted at it. I remember our brother's rare smile that day when I spilled the paint over the carpet, Obito thought with a sad smile. It was hard to not think about Shisui or of anyone who had died. _Kakashi..._

_But know isn't the time to mourn,_ he told himself firmly. He looked back, and could still see the thirteen survivors following him. They need me now. Obito stared at the youngest survivors. One was being carried on a shinobi's back like Rin; the other was snuggled against her mother, asleep despite her narrow escape from death. Or as close as a mother can be, thought Obito. He had heard that the child's name was Sakura, and she had been found beneath the rubble where he parents were buried. Two young and married civilians had found the three month old wailing and screaming in the quiet waning day, and had taken her as their own. Obito looked sadly at the pink-haired baby. _Will she ever remember her parents?_ Obito hadn't, and he had been around the same age as Sakura had been when his parents had died on a mission. The new parents' names are Yuki Akamistu and Yuki Chiharu. Both young civilians had been carpenters before the Three Tails had destroyed their village and home. As such, their hair was kept short, and their white hair was sprinkled with dust and debris. Obito looked farther back, and saw that the one year old Hyūga riding on his uncle's back was surveying the scenes around him. His pupiless eyes gazed at the trees speeding past him in interest. He will be too young to remember this, Obito thought gratefully. Perhaps his asshole uncle will love him like a son. Hyūga Hisashi was known to be a strict and hard shinobi. Obito still remembered wondering out loud how such an asshole could marry one of the sweetest and kindest women in Konohagkure shortly after it was announced that Hyūga Hisashi married Hyūga Emiko. _"A shinobi's life is not just about strength. It's about forging alliances and creating stronger children for the next generation." I completely forget how distant Kakashi could be towards emotion._ His teammate had said the same thing at Mikoto's wedding, but instead of getting angry that time, Obito had wanted to sob that his lovely older sister was going to marry the stuck-up heir to the Uchiha clan. Mikoto's husband had regarded his wife's youngest brother as nothing more than a nuisance, a failure, and unworthy of the Uchiha clan name. _There's one person who I'm glad is dead,_ Obito thought sourly. He wouldn't tell that to his sister though. She had cared for him despite the attitude he had toward her youngest brother, and he was also the father of Itachi and the baby still in the womb. He stared at the shards of his family, and saw his heavily pregnant sister still able to jump through trees while holding Itachi with one arm. Her face was pale from the distance they had taken, but still, she did not stop. Kushina was beside her best friend just in case Itachi needed to be carried by different arms.

Obito looked back to see the final survivors coming into view. He couldn't help but to smile at the fact two people of his generation besides him and Rin had survived. Obito remembered feeling their chakras shortly after Kushina had sealed the Three Tails in Rin. He didn't know how to explain it, but somehow, he had been able to feel their chakras through the earth. That was how he knew that there were thirteen survivors. Hayate and Yūgao were beside each other as they leapt from tree to tree. A sword graced each of their backs, and none miraculously had any injuries. Their dark hair blew in the wind, as did Obito's when he found them. He remembered the shock and barely concealed fear on their faces when he came to them. A ripple-like scar covered the entire left side of his face, and his hair reached his waist._ I must have been very frightening to them._ Now they admired him, for surviving the mission that had supposedly killed him, and stopping the Three Tails from destroying them all. Obito remembered how wary all of them had been when they started their journey. _"Where are we going?"_ Chiharu had asked. _"Land of Rice Fields," _Obito had said without a thought. He didn't know why or how he came up with that. He had never been there before._ I hope I didn't send us to another devastated war-zone._ Obito tried to firm his resolve by focusing on the scenes before him. _Even if we do meet trouble, we will endure…because that is what a shinobi does._


	4. Despair

_Despair_

She was dreaming. She felt as if she was flying. Tree leaves passed her eyelids, and the bark of trees echoed in her mind. The girl named Rin felt tired, so tired, although she had no idea why. Warmth scratched her cheek and her chest; her whole body. She was riding on someone's back. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face when she thought the back belonged to her father, but then Rin realized that the back was too small and wasn't rippled with muscles like her father's. It felt different too, somehow. The smile disappeared as soon as Rin remembered. She remembered the blood spilled on her hands. The screams and piteous cries for help, and of the flames that had echoed against her two eyes. The girl named Rin remembered so vividly of how tears flowed down from her cheeks as the sights of destruction caused by her destroyed her mind.

The memory of the rain dousing the flames and the fire. The strong and yet gentle arms of Obito encircling her as she sobbed and screamed. The broken and bloodied corpse of her beloved teammate Kakashi… All that reminded her of what she had done. The girl faintly opened her eyes a bit, and saw the back of Obito's spiky black hair flowing in the wind. _It's so long, _was her only thought. Rin hadn't thought Obito could have survived the cave-in that had caused everyone to believe him dead. _He wanted to come home, to Konohagakure, but now… _The thought left Rin immobilized, and she felt her cheek rest again against Obito's back. _Now… _She looked back through half-lidded eyes, and could see shapes moving. Some were large; others were small. The last thing Obito had told her before she had fallen unconscious echoed in her mind. _"There are thirteen survivors, including three children." It's all my fault. If I hadn't…if I hadn't given into Kakashi, everyone in Konohagakure would be alive. Everything would be fine. I would be dead, but everyone else, that I love and cherish, that I know and don't know, would still be alive. I was wrong…so wrong._

Rin felt blood seep down her mouth where she had bit her lip from trying not to scream. She felt the absence of the seal that caged the Three Tails in, and had grim hope that the Three Tails was _not _sealed inside her, or better yet, that he _was_ dead. But in her mind she heard a hoarse laugh, and it increased in volume every moment that passed. _It's still there, _Rin thought with despair. Her breath wheezed in and out of her, and she felt her vision spin. She had a sudden memory of the Kirigakure shinobi telling her their plan. _"The seal containing the Three Tails will break, and your village will be destroyed." _Rin had thought she heard pleasure in his voice as the shinobi spoke. She pictured him smiling underneath his mask. _"You will bring the destruction of everyone you love." They were right, _Rin thought trembling. Her entire body shook. _They were more right than I thought they would be. I failed in my mission. _I failed.

Rin started sniffling. Then she started wailing. She started kicking and punching whatever she could find. She closed her eyes tight, and felt voices near her as she continued to scream. _"It's okay, Rin-chan. It's okay, you're alive, and you're safe."_ _No, it's not okay! _Rin thought frantically as tears flowed down her cheeks, tasting blood in her mouth. _I killed everyone! _She thought she heard the quiet and uncertain voice of an unknown person,and the calm liquid tone of Mikoto-_san, _Obito's _oneechan_. For a moment, only that voice calmed her until she remembered, as a genin, listening to Obito talking about his family. _"My oldest sibling Mikoto raised me with my brother after our parents died after a mission soon after I was born. She was able to become a full-fledged kunoichi at age thirteen – which means she's good as Kakashi – and she fought and survived the Second Shinobi World War. I'm proud to have her as a sister because she's everything a kunoichi should be. Oneechan's strong, brave, beautiful, and kind. I have a brother too named Shisui. He's five years older than me, but he's already a member of the ANBU. He's really kind and quiet once you get to know him though, and he believes that shinobi don't live for glory or for fame. He thinks that shinobi live to protect others from the shadows and to protect peace."_ Rin remembered hearing the reverence and adoration in Obito's voice when he had spoken of his beloved older brother. _"He thinks I'll become a great Hokage one day, not just because I will be strong, but because he has faith in me that I'll be able to protect everyone!" _Now Shisu's noble ideals were dead with him, as were Obito's dreams of becoming Hokage.

Rin started to scream again.

_Their dreams and hopes are dead because of me. _Rin continued to fight Obito, but her teammate held firm in holding her. _I should be dead, Obito. I should be dead from all the things that I had done. Can't you understand? Your beloved brother is dead because of me. The only sensei that understood you and believed in you is dead. It's my fault, and my life should pay for what I've done. _Eventually, Rin grew exhausted from trying to fight Obito, and wearily lied her head against his shoulder. Her voice stopped. Even though Rin's mind wanted sleep, her mind refused to. Whenever she tried to close her eyes, she saw the dead bodies of the people that she killed. _Mother and Father…Minato-sensei…Sandaime Hokage-sama…Asuma…Mitsuko-san… everyone…_

Suddenly she heard a voice beside her. It was quiet and strangely serene, and it took Rin a moment to realize that it was Obito who was speaking. She hadn't heard him speak in such a serious voice before except when he told her they were two of the thirteen survivors. His face hadn't only been physically damaged either. _I…changed him, didn't I? I forced him to grow up._

"Rin," he said. He always said her name as if it was something special. "All thirteen of us will arrive in Land of Rice Fields soon. You don't have to worry about us." He tried to smile and he always could in the past, but couldn't. "We'll be home soon."

_That isn't home, Obito. I want to be with my family, and with everyone else. I want to the home…that I destroyed. I want Konohagakure. _


	5. Jinchuuriki

I'm _very _sorry for not updating in more than a month! If anyone is wondering where the survivors are, they're at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields. Everyone is taking a rest before they arrive in their new home. Next chapter will be interesting!

* * *

_Jinchuuriki_

Rin opened her eyes to find herself staring at tree leaves. She wasn't on Obito's back anymore. Instead she felt the cool thin grass caressing her stiff limbs. _How long…? _Rin turned her head to the left side, and saw Obito himself standing on the branch of a thick tree, looking outward. Another taller shinobi was beside him, a shinobi Rin immediately recognized as Hyūga Hisashi. They both appeared to be conversing quietly. _I'm surprised Obito hasn't started yelling at him so far, _Rin thought with mild amusement as she remembered the many times Obito had complained about the arrogant Hyūga when their sensei and Kakashi were out of earshot. _He was always able to make me laugh, _Rin thought.

As the moments lingered, her brief light feelings faded as guilt overwhelmed her. _I remember watching them die. Even though I was in my subconscious the entire time, it still feels like it was _me _who killed everyone. I remember Kakashi and Minato-sensei fighting me until the bitter end, their blood splashing against my body and as the light faded away from their eyes. _Rin self-consciously hugged her knees as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her filmed eyes wandered to where the other exiles were lying; Kushina-_san _was lying against a tree next to Obito's elder sister Mikoto-_san_. Rin couldn't help but to admire Mikoto-_san_'s endurance and speed while she was eight months pregnant. Her young son was watching the sky, a pensive look on his tiny face. Rin saw her classmates Hayate and Yūgao staring quietly at the stream directly towards them. From her distance, Rin could see how the pebbles and rocks sparkled in the sunlight. The only civilians of the survivors were holding tightly onto a baby girl with soft pink hair. They were frightened. _And why shouldn't they be? _Rin thought bitterly. She saw the wife of Hyūga Hisashi look towards her way, but when Rin met her eyes, the pupiless gaze withdrew frightfully. _She sees me as I truly am, _Rin thought with despair. _I…am a monster. _

"Rin-_san_." The sad girl looked up to see one of the civilians speaking to her softly. Her white hair was slightly wavy and parted in a v-like shape across her forehead. Her dark brown eyes were bright, and she didn't blink as she stared at Rin.

"_H-hai?" _Rin stuttered.

"Rin-_san_," the woman stopped for a moment and sighed. "I want you to know that my husband and I don't blame you for the attack on our village. It wasn't your fault." Those were the words that Rin wanted to hear since the she had awoken to find the village she loved burning and dying. But somehow…the words weren't right. The words didn't reach her heart.

"It is my fault," Rin whispered in a monotone. "I was supposed to control the Three Tails so it wouldn't destroy the village." A lone tear traveled down her cheek. "I almost killed everyone, and I caused everyone around me here to lose someone precious to them. I could kill you right now despite the seal Kushina-_san _placed on me, and I don't even know your name."

Rin's swollen eyes met the woman's warm dark brown ones. The young kunoichi could see any hate or fear in her expression.

"My name is Yuki Chiharu, but you may call me Chiharu-_san_." Chiharu-_san _held Rin's trembling hands and clasped them in her own. "No one hates you here, Rin-_san_. No one."

Rin swallowed the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes again. "I…heard that people like me…people who have tailed beasts inside them are hated and feared." She took a deep breath and looked into Chiharu-_san_'s understanding brown eyes. "I don't know _what _we're called…but why don't you hate me?" Suddenly anger surged through her. "You should hate me! I destroyed the village and everyone in it! It should have been me who had died, and Minato-sensei or Kakashi!" Thick tears were running down her cheeks, and Rin was about to scream again from the agony in her heart when a voice stopped her thoughts.

"Rin, you are a jinchuuriki." The voice came from a person Rin did not expect. Slowly, the distraught girl turned around, and saw Kushina-_san _walking towards her. The bright red hair her sensei had loved blew in the wind and framed her face. The older kunoichi had an uncharacteristic serious expression.

"I'm a jinchuu...riki?" Rin was at loss for words. _What…_

"_We _are jinchuuriki." Kushina-_san _was now directly in front of her. Rin stared at Kushina-_san _once she recognized what the kunoichi was trying to say. _Impossible…_

"It's true, Rin. I am a jinchuuriki just as you are. I was brought to Konohagakure to be the vessel for the Nine Tails at age six." Kushina-_san _stopped her sentence and stared hard at Rin. "No one knew I was a jinchhuuriki, unlike you now. I still had to endure the loneliness, but I thankfully wasn't discriminated against because of the secret." She smiled sadly. "Only Minato knew when he rescued me." Rin had heard the story many times; of how her sensei Minato had saved his future wife from Kumogakure shinobi, her kidnappers, and had brought her home. _That's when they fell in love. _"Your story is much different, Rin. Your kidnappers were successful at sealing the Three Tails inside you, and the monster inside you killed your village and almost everyone you loved. Everyone here knows about the demon sealed inside you, and I'm sorry to say that not everyone is as accepting as myself and Chiharu-_san_. You will have to endure pain even more agonizing than the pain you have now, Rin. I put a strong seal so that you won't lose control of the Three Tails again." Kushina-_san _paused, and she seemed to understand the dismay and fear in Rin's eyes. "But there is a way for your loneliness to not consume you."

Rin felt Kushina-_san_'s soft hands stroke her cheek, and immediately felt calmed. When the Three Tails had been first sealed inside her, she had felt nothing but fear and loathing for the beast – and for herself. She had felt despair and crushing sadness when the Three Tails sadistically synced with her mind and showed her the village's destruction. Now she felt the emotions melting away. She now looked at Kushina-_san _with reverence.

"What…do I need to not feel lonely?"

"Love, Rin. Fill yourself with love, and fill the hole in your heart." Tears appeared from Kushina-_san'_s eyes. "Minato was able to save me from the loneliness and fill the hole in my heart, and I'm certain that someone will be able to do that with you."

"But…" _Kakashi made me happy, even when he ignored me and never shared my feelings. Now that can never be, now when I need him most. I killed him and now he's gone. _"There's no one for me to love, Kushina-_san_." The red haired kunoichi looked at her strangely.

"You will find love, Rin." She smiled. There seemed to be something in her eyes that Rin couldn't explain. "He will be able to fill the hole in your heart." The kunoichi turned around to find her friend and young son, but was stopped by Rin's whispered question.

"Why…don't you hate me, Kushina-_san_?"

"My husband wouldn't want me to hate you, Rin. He loved as the daughter he will never have." Kushina-_san _looked away into the trees with sadness in her eyes. "And…I see you as a younger sister. We are both jinchuuriki, aren't we?"

Suddenly Rin felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to find Obito standing behind her.

"No one's following us, Rin." The tall Uchiha looked at her with a small smile. "Kirigakure think that they've won." When Rin didn't smile, Obito looked concerned. "Are you okay, Rin?"

_His body is exhausted. I see scratches and bruises on him everywhere, and he can barely stand on his two feet. And yet he still asks if I'm okay. _

"Of course I'm okay, Obito." Rin touched his unscarred cheek with her palm. "I'm fine now."

"_Fill yourself with love, and fill the hole in your heart."_

_Obito…_


	6. Something Such As Love

_Something Such As Love_

Obito could tell something was different about Rin when he had come down from surveying the area for any enemies. The Kirigakure shinobi thought they had succeeded in their mission, leaving no room for doubt. Obito had Hyūga Hisashi survey the area as well with his far-seeing Byakugan. Chakra had not been present in the area. _I'm surprised I was able to have a civilized conversation with him, _Obito mused as he watched the Hyūga walk to the surviving members of his family. _Before I wouldn't have been able to be in the same breathing space as him. _Obito's thoughts wandered to Rin again as he watched the young kunoichi crouch down to his nephew Itachi. Her former desperate and guilt-ridden expression was gone, replaced by one of uneasy peace. The smile he had wanted to see since he "died" came back, albeit weakly. And the way she had looked at him… _Something caused Rin to change when I was away, _Obito thought. He looked ahead of him and allowed a small smile to appear on his face when he saw how _relaxed _Rin was. It seemed that her mind was finally at rest.

"You really do love her, don't you?"

Obito turned around to see Kushina-_san _standing in front of him with her left hand on her rounding stomach. Obito had been used to seeing his _sensei_'s wife boisterous and in good humor. He had known Uzumaki Kushina since he was a child, and hadn't thought there would not be a day that he didn't see her smile. Kushina-_san_'s pale complexion was even paler, and Obito saw sadness welling in her eyes.

"What is it, Kushina-_san_?" Obito saw the red-haired kunoichi smile briefly before her mouth became a grim line again.

"It reminds me of Minato and I. You and Rin, together. You fell in love with her the same age I fell in love with your _sensei_. And you still love her, despite knowing what she could do and what she has inside her." She sighed. "I told Rin what she was, while you were gone, and I think it's fitting that you should know too."

"Know what?"

"I am a jinchuuriki too, Obito. I have the Nine Tails sealed inside of me." Before Obito could ask, Kushina-_san _continued. "There are nine tailed beasts in all, so named based on the number of tails they have. At age of six, I was chosen to be the vessel of a tailed fox with nine tails. Rin and I share the same sad past Obito. To be chosen for something that we don't want, and to be feared and hated for that same something." Obito watched as Kushina-_san _clenched and unclenched her hands as she continued to tell him a secret she had kept for most of her life. A part of Obito wondered how he could have missed the fact of how _special _Kushina-_san _was. No matter what injury the redhead had, she always recovered in a day or les, and she had endurance that surpassed any normal jōnin. _Kakashi would have suspected something, _Obito thought bitterly. Then he shook his head. Kakashi was dead, and there was no use being jealous of the dead.

"I told Rin that one thing can keep a jinchuuriki from the despair known as loneliness," Kushina-_san _whispered. Her eyes seemed to be far away.

"What's that?" Obito whispered.

"Love." A tear traveled down the older woman's cheek. "Receiving love, or giving love. It doesn't matter which." Kushina-_san _smiled at him then. "I know you have already begun to fill the hole in Rin's heart, Obito. I know Minato would be proud of you."

Obito continued to stare in the place Kushina-_san _had occupied moments after she had left. _Love… _He thought about the love his sister and brother had given him after their parent's death. The emptiness of an orphan wasn't seen in him, unlike Kakashi, and now Obito knew why. _So love is the emotion that heals all wounds, huh? _Wind blew through his long hair, soothing him ever more, and Obito thought he had never felt more peaceful despite of what had happened. His dark eyes looked beyond the space Kushina-_san _and vacated, and saw the twelve survivors standing and looking at him – including Hyūga Hisashi – as if waiting for him.

Obito felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and was pleasantly surprised when he saw Rin's face near him. "We're ready to leave, Obito."

The trees continued to thin as their destination appeared. There was less grass too, and more brown. In the distance, Obito saw farmers working in their rice fields with straw hats in the hot June sun. _No wonder this place is called the Land of Rice Fields, _Obito thought as rows and rows of rice fields continued to steadily replace the trees. Eventually the trees stopped altogether and soft short grass met the exiles' sandals. Obito looked around and saw blue skies without any traces of a storm. He looked down at his feet, and couldn't see any indentations in the grass. _We must be the first outsiders in a very long time._

Suddenly a small sound echoed in the mostly barren area. Obito immediately crouched down in a defensive shinboi stance as the others instinctively moved towards the trees still in the area. Obito tensed when he heard the sound again. He moved to grab his kunai – one of his last weapons to remind him that he once had been a Konohagakure shinobi, but a hand he knew so well stopped him from grabbing it.

"_Oneechan?" _Obito was shocked to see his sister's calm face when she was using the Sharigan. Mikoto didn't look at him when she began to speak.

"The person you just heard is a small child. She has no shinobi training." Mikoto's Sharigan unlocked. "We have to send Itachi to confront her; he's the one she would trust most since they're the same age."

"But –"

"He'll be okay, Obito. One of the reasons why Fugaku was proud of him was because our son had excellent makings of a shinobi." Hearing his sister's dead husband's name slightly unnerved Obito, but his sister calm expression assured him that Itachi wouldn't be in any danger.

The small form of his nephew cautiously approached the open space and stood still as the small footsteps echoed on the grass.

"Hello?" The footsteps ceased as the child came into view. Dark brown hair covered the girl's head to her shoulders, and her dark blue eyes widened when she saw Itachi.

"Who are you?" Her hands, previously behind her back, now went to her sides, and Obito recognized herbs in the basket she was carrying.

"Uchiha Itachi. What's your name?"

"Yoshida Miyu." The girl tilted her head at the silent boy in front of her. _She's not used to someone being so silent, _Obito realized. Since his nephew's witness of numerous deaths, Obito had been used to Itachi not saying anything for hours at a time.

"Can you get us your father? We have people here who need your help." The child named Miyu didn't appear to comprehend Itachi for a moment until her eyes wandered to the trees. Twelve pairs of eyes stared back at her, and the child ran, kicking up dust as she went.

When Miyu came back, an adult farmer with a straw hat walked beside her. His hair was a lighter brown than the child's beside him, but both had the same eye shade and shape. _He must be her father._

"Who are you? I don't care who you are, but this land has no allegiance to any of the Five Shinobi Countries! You have reason to attack us!"

"_Otosan, _these people and Itachi need help," murmured the girl who was holding her father's hand. Her blue eyes widened from her father's reactive and almost violent shout.

"She's right." Obito removed himself from the trees and situated himself in front of the man before him. "My name is Uchiha Obito, and I am the uncle of the boy your daughter met. We're not invading the Land of Rice Fields, Yoshida-_san_," Obito explained carefully. "We're fleeing. Two days ago Kirigakure attacked our village and almost slaughtered everyone there. Thirteen people including myself is all that is left of Konohagakure."

Obito saw the man's expression change as the twelve other survivors appeared from the trees. The expression from fear to suspicion to shock radiated his face under a minute.

"I will shelter you and the others," he whispered. The announcement of his words made Obito slightly light-headed and dizzy.

"Good…" He didn't hear the exclamations of shock as Obito fell to the ground and collapsed from exhaustion.


	7. Safe and Sound

_Safe and Sound_

Obito heard nothing when he regained consciousness at first. He saw blurry shapes through his heavy eyelids. Something wet and cool was laid across his forehead and he felt something warm and soft on his bruised body as well. _A blanket? _He thought wearily. His muscles and limbs screamed in protest when he tried to move. As Obito lied motionless and his eyes wearily blinking, he heard whispers. They were too quiet for him to make out, but he knew they were female. Eventually the voices quieted, and Obito thought he heard a door close. A hand rubbed across his cheek, and he flinched, before he relaxed once he realized who the hand belonged to.

"I'm happy to see you awake, little brother." Mikoto had never looked more beautiful, he thought. Her dark blue-black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and her ragged clothes had been replaced by fresher ones. Her face was clean and Obito thought she had never looked happier. "You were unconscious for a while…but I'm glad you're okay." Mikoto sighed at the end of her sentence, and a worried expression marred her features. _Something's wrong, _Obito thought.

"How long have I been unconscious, _oneechan_?"

"Two days."

Shock coursed through Obito as he contemplated the amount of time that had escaped him. His last memory had been hearing Asuna Yoshida's father telling him that he would shelter the Konohagakure exiles. The light-headedness and dizziness. Then his memory went black. _I must have fainted, _Obito thought with frustration. He thought of Rin. Since the attack on the village four days ago, she had changed drastically from the distraught jinchuuriki to…someone different. _I wonder if she's okay. _

"Is everyone else okay?" Obito whispered. He hoped that his worry for Rin did not show.

_"Hai. _Kushina and Emiko are resting with the children. Hisashi-_san_, as far as I know, is with the two civilians Akimitsu-_san _and Chiharu-_san _are analyzing this new land." A wan smile touched Mikoto's lips. "My son is playing with his new friend, Miyu."

"You mean the girl who found us?" Obito asked.

"They have become fast friends, I think. Miyu is getting used to Itachi's silences, more than I will be." His sister's smile halted for a moment. "Miyu's mother, Atsuko, asked me why he didn't speak more often than not. I told her about the deaths of the shinobi he witnessed, and they scarred him. Miyu is the only one who looks at him without pity in her eyes, and I'm grateful for that." Mikoto turned towards her little brother and said, "Rin is watching the children play."

"How did you know I was thinking about her?"

"Your eyes tell me everything Obito. All the thoughts and fears are known to anyone who looks into your eyes. It hasn't changed since you were a baby." His sister's gentle had grasped his own. "Even though you are stronger than you had been, I know you are still grieving over your _sensei _and your teammate and our brother. I know that you carry the grief inside and loneliness you feel is breaking your heart." Obito's wavering eyes met his sister's gentle and understanding ones, and at last a dam of emotion and grief he held inside so long broke free.

Mikoto caught his trembling body before he fell, and he felt his thick tears dampen her shirt as the damp cloth fell onto the floor. The past days after Konohgakure's destruction, Obito had not been alone. But here he was now, alone with his thoughts and his mind. The blood spilt that had belonged to Minato-_sensei _and Kakashi burned in his mind. Obito hadn't been able to see his brother alive. Too many dead and dying had been seen for him to count as the young Uchiha had ran frantically to stop the Three Tails. He hadn't been there to see Minato-_sensei _or Kakashi fall. His clansmen had died before they had been able to know that he had been alive along. Obito remembered his dream to become Hokage and of how Minato-_sensei _had smiled at him and said, _"Don't give up. One day we'll become Hokage…Obito." _Both dreams had been lost in the wind. His _sensei _had died battling the Three Tails, and Konohagakure was destroyed, having no need for a Hokage, the leader of the village. Obito's dream was dead, like so many others.

He continued to sob into his _oneechan_'s shirt as Mikoto stroked his back to calm him as she did when he was a baby. Obito continued to think of the bodies left to rot without a proper burial and _his _choice to leave the home of their ancestors to the fire and dust. _Shinobi must endure. That's what Shisui taught me along with that shinobi protect peace from the shadows and not for glory. We all fled…and I shouldn't have…_

"Shisui would have agreed, Obito."

Obito was startled, and looked up at Mikoto with swollen eyes.

"I know what he taught you, because it was our father who taught us his ideals. The war may go on longer, Obito, but I assure you that your choice to abandon the village and _not _attack Kirigakure will make it so that the war will only last a little bit longer. You chose to protect all that you could see and not avenge the dead. Most shinobi would behave differently. Shisui would have thought your choice was right and noble, because you are protecting the peace by not exacting vengeance. We are safe and sound, because of you." Mikoto paused for a moment, and didn't speak for a while. Her silence lied heavy on Obito. "When I was just a genin, my father told me that the memories of those that have gone continue to live in others. Your _sensei _and all those who have died continue to live on in you, Obito. Their dreams and life will make you stronger. Our parents' deaths made me stronger, and I know that you will grow stronger from this." Mikoto slowly smiled and stroked her little brother's hair as the boy pondered what she had said. The grief seemed less painful from her words, and Obito thought of the memories he and everyone he met had shared. He thought of what had gone through together. _Maybe…_

"But Mikoto, how can I become Hokage?"

Mikoto unclasped her hand from his and stood. He didn't know how to explain it, but Obito was able to feel his sister's smile.

"You already are Hokage, Obito."


	8. Feelings

_Feelings_

When Obito collapsed, Rin was the first one who reached him. His expression was that like someone sleeping, completely unaware of the surroundings. At peace. Rin had crouched down and felt for a pulse against his neck. She was reminded of Kakashi and of Minato-_sensei_, for both of them had looked at sleeping even though they were dead. Rin sighed with relief when she felt a strong pulse pounding against Obito's neck. Doing this reminded her of the multiple times she had looked after him…when he had caused himself to faint from all the training he used to do. Only this time it was different. Obito had collapsed from exhaustion only because he was leading the thirteen survivors to a place of refuge. Rin felt a hand of her shoulder, and was startled to find the farmer who had given them refuge staring back at her.

"I am Yoshida Takashi, Miyu's father," he said shortly. Closer up, Rin observed that the man had tanned skin and scars – similar to a shinobi's – across his hands. "We have a place of rest for your friend and everyone else." Together Rin and Yoshida-_san _turned Obito over in a more comfortable position as Mikoto-_san_, who had heard everything, explained the situation to the others. As they walked to their new destination, Rin noticed how Miyu never left Itachi's side.

Rin visited Obito as much as she could when he was unconscious. She often saw Mikoto-_san _or Ayako-_san_, the village's elder and healer beside her injured teammate. Rin found herself thinking about what had happened the past few days. She found herself thinking about Konohagakure being destroyed and the lives she had taken by letting the Three Tails unleash its power. The agony and the guilt seemed less now. She didn't feel a gap in her heart anymore, and Rin wondered _why _the Three Tails seemed to be so angry all the time. She had heard a voice in her head at times when no one was around, sharp and quiet at the same time. Rin had asked Kushina-_san _about this, and the older jinchuukiri had replied that it was the voice of the tailed beast inside her. _"You're lucky, you know. The Nine Tails doesn't talk very much." _Sometimes Rin found herself talking to Obito when she visited, talking about happier times when everything was different. Even now it seemed, she could talk to Obito about anything.

When she wasn't with Obito, Rin was with Kushina-_san_. The older jinchuukiri taught her many things about her seal and fuinjutsu in general. Rin had thought medical ninjutsu was tough, but fuinjutsu was actually harder. She had to mesmerize and write the calligraphy of each fuinjutsu and manage the right amount of chakra for each technique. The hardest part about the lessons though was when Kushina-_san _had told her about the only time when the seals on tailed beasts would weaken. _"Childbirth is the only time it happens. Why does it happen? The seal weakens because the woman jinchuukiri focuses all her energy on bringing that baby into the world when previously she had focused her energy on maintaining the seal. And the pregnancy is ten months long."_

_ "Why so long?" _Rin had whispered. She hadn't expected childbirth to be the answer to why seals holding the tailed beasts would weaken. She self-consciously stroked her cheek. _That certainly isn't going to happen to me._

_"Who the hell knows? All I know is that it's too damn long!" _Kushina-_san _glared at her expectant stomach. _"I can't wait until I have you, you know?"_

Rin continued to remember how Kushina-_san _had explained that Minato-_sensei _was supposed to maintain the seal during her time, but now that he was gone, the task would go to Obito. _I remember that she grinned when I asked her why Obito would do it instead of me. _As she stood watching Miyu and Itachi play, the young jinchuukiri recalled the information closest to her heart. She was supposed to call her _sensei_'s widow _Oneechan_. _The name does have a nice ring to it, _Rin thought as she broke her gaze away from Miyu and Itachi to the sky. The clouds seemed soft and transparent to her eyes.

"Rin."

The young kunoichi turned at the sound of her name, and saw Obito, who had been unconscious for two days, walking towards her slowly and standing. He looked somewhat tired with dark rings around his eyes and he had a bit of a limp, but he was smiling.

"Obito." Rin could only state his name as the boy walked to her. Eventually he was standing beside her, and she watched his eyes follow Itachi.

"He's never smiled so much," he said at first. Rin looked at the Uchiha child. It was true. Itachi was smiling for the first time in their presence. The solemn and serious face he had didn't suit such a small child. The smile he had seemed to light up his face and eyes. "He only smiled once when _oneechan _told him she was pregnant with his little brother. Then he went back to his serious introverted self."

_So we both have oneechans then, don't we? _"Why are you up so early? You're still unsteady on your feet." Obito looked away from the children, who were now running in the street playing tag, and he smiled at her.

"I wanted to see you," he whispered. She was aware of how his smile came from his heart, and of how he reached his hand for her. Hesitantly, Rin waited as she felt Obito's warm hand around her own. It wasn't like Kakashi's hand that had wrapped around her on that awful day – it wasn't cold at all, nor did it have a thin sheet of sweat. _Obito always makes me feel…_

"When I came to after you and Kakashi left, I was in a cave, but in a different one than where the Iwagakure shinobi held you." Obito spoke thickly, as if there were too many emotions in his voice and in the memories he was telling her. Rin silenced her thoughts. "I was…bandaged heavily. Half of my body was made out of the substance you see now." He gestured the ripple-like scar on his face. "I can regenerate the substance when I injure a part of it, and I can apparently use techniuqes that I wouldn't have been able to use before. That's what he said, anyway." Obito paused. "The man who saved me called himself Uchiha Madara."

Shock rippled through Rin like waves. _Uchiha Madara? _Obito noticed Rin's expression and continued. "He was old enough to be Uchiha Madara, my anscestor, but I didn't quite believe it. Then he started talking about light and darkness and stuff. I guess it was ramblings of an old man, but somehow I felt it was something more than that. I healed until I got used to using this body…and then I heard you were in trouble, so I went to rescue you." Obito fell silent and didn't let Rin's hand go. His eyes were clouded in memories.

"What happened to…the old man?" Rin asked.

"I don't know," Obito said. "I suppose I better thank him someday, but not now." His smile towards he faded, and Rin was beginning to worry when he continued to be silent minutes later. "He…said something before I left. I didn't remember it before the village was destroyed, but now I do. He said…" Obito licked his lips, and didn't speak for a moment. Rin had never seen him so nervous before. "He said that I would come back. I…don't know why."

_He knew. _Rin felt the information sink deep inside her. The cold seeped into her bones. Flashes of the sealing and of the kidnapping flashed in her memory. _He knew, didn't he? What if…he was the one who orchestrated it and somehow found out what Kirigakure was going to do to me? _Rin was frozen stiff from the old fear that jolted through her. Her senses seemed to have dulled, and Obito's voice interrupted her morose thoughts.

"Rin?" When Rin didn't respond, Obito crouched down and let go of her hand. _"Daijoubu?" _

"Obito, I think Uchiha Madara knew what was going to happen," she whispered. "He _knew _that…what I was going to was going to force you to come back, for whatever reason." _He would've seen me die. _Obito's shocked face was still for a couple moments. Then his eyes grew wide and he growled.

"I'll kill him when I find him again." There was so much anger and rage seeping from him Rin could feel it. Obito turned his face to the sky. "You hear me, Uchiha Madara? I'll kill you!"

"Obito, the village elder wants to speak with you." Rin and Obito turned to see Hyūga Hisashi walking towards them. His pupiless eyes were stern and there was a hint of disapproval in his posture.

"Why?"

"The want to speak to the leader of the group," Hyūga Hisashi said shortly. He turned before Obito could make a reply. "Come. She's waiting."

"It must be pretty serious," Obito grumbled. Rin remembered how Obito hated meetings and lectures. She allowed herself a smile. "I'll talk to you later Rin, okay?"

As the young shinboi walked, Rin remembered how the former Obito used to run. _We're all different now, aren't we? I used to like being around you, but now it's…different. You make me feel safe and calm…just like how Kakashi used to be. Why are these feelings happening again…now of all times?_


	9. A Conversation

_A Conversation_

Obito walked behind Hyūga Hisashi slowly, still unsteady on his feet. His body still ached at times, especially when he overexerted himself. Obito recalled Mikoto's words before she left to visit Kushina-_san_. _"Take it easy, otouto." _Mikoto had urged. But Obito did never rest easy. She had raised him with Shisui after all. But despite the fatigue seeping through his limbs, Obito didn't regret going to see Rin. He remembered vividly of how her beautiful eyes had been shaken when he had told her about his encounter with Uchiha Madara. _"He knew…" _Obito had been confused by the elder Uchiha's last words to him, but now it made since. _No wonder he said I would come back. It was _he _who orchestrated the event. _Thinking about the anger that had surged though him caused an unpleasant taste to come in his mouth. The memory of the old shinobi made Obito want to crack every bone in his body when he would see him again. _I vowed to the sky that I would kill him. That's never happened to me before. _

"Obito." Obito was brought out of his thoughts from Hyūga Hisashi's stern voice. "Are you paying attention?"

The young Uchiha noticed that he and his companion were standing in front of an elegant house. There was a walkway made out of stones, and a cherry blossom tree stood beside it. The house itself was small, but the wood was smooth and clean, not made out of soft hay or clumsy wood like the other houses. Obito noticed with his sharp eyes that there was a small pond with koi through the slide-doors. "Wow," he breathed. "This place is amazing!"

"He just noticed it," Hisashi said under his breath. "Scatterbrained as usual." The Hyūga marched through the slide-door before Obito could glare at him. Obito noticed that the inside of the house was also elegant. There were many paintings with calligraphy on the walls along with expensive pottery. _Oneechan would love it here, _he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "So you've come." The old woman was sitting on a cushion with her knees crossed. Her frail body was covered with a dark purple kimono made out of silk. Her hair was dark gray and wrapped in a bun. There was a noble air about her, not unlike the Sandaime Hokage.

"Come sit," she said. When both of them were sitting, the village elder began. "My name is Koriyama Keiko, and I am the only village elder still living. My predecessors were killed in the Second Shinobi World War, and since then, the village has known only blissful peace." She opened her eyes, and Obito saw that she was blind. "You came here as refugees, and we housed you for a time. But I'm afraid," she sighed, "that cannot continue. You must come from where you came from."

At her words, Obito abruptly stood. _Leave? _The pale faces of the civilians Akimitsu-_san _and Chiharu-_san _echoed in his mind. He thought of Emiko-_san _and his own sister. "What do you mean? We can't just leave! We've only just got here!"

_"Wakarimashita." _The old woman was infuriatingly calm compared to Obito's sudden anger. "But my people, the villagers, do not want to be involved in whatever you shinobi have brought here. Your own village was destroyed. Who's to say that the same thing won't happen here?"

"Don't you understand?' Obito growled. "There are pregnant women and children involved in this! Why don't you care?"

"Of course I care, Obito-_kun_. I care very much. You say you want to be a leader someday?"

_"Hai."_

"Then bare this in mind. Sometimes the will of the leader must be cast aside for the will of his or her people." The woman's blind eyes met Obito's. "Sometimes you have to do what your people want, even though it goes against _your _morals and _your _beliefs." Her tone softened. "Do you understand, you one? If you are still here after first light, I will be forced to chase you out of the village."

Obito was choking on his anger. He tried to swallow, only to find that he felt angrier than before. "No." Somehow his voice was deathly calm. "I don't." Abruptly, without saying goodbye, Obito left.

Hisashi caught up to him soon after. "You could have been kinder." Obito didn't comment. His thoughts were immediately on Rin. How would she take this?

"Although, I understand your distress. My wife Emiko will not take this well, and your sister might not make the trip back."

At those words, Obito turned towards Hisashi and grabbed his shirt with his hands. He could feel the Hyūga's surprise. "You can badmouth me all you like. You can sneer at me and disrespect me, but I won't tolerate someone like you insulting my _oneechan_!" Obito's hands fell limp as he pulled his hands away and stiff with anger and rage and disappointment, ran away.

Rin was the one who found him an hour later. Obito was sitting on a fallen log not far from where he had collapsed when he and the twelve others had arrived in the Land of Rice Fields. _It seems like it was more than two days ago that we came here, _he thought to himself. Then he felt a familiar presence. When he looked up, he saw Rin looking at him.

"No one took the news well. Itachi-_chan _even started crying." Rin's pensive and stress-stricken face probably mirrored his own. "How can we go back? The only home we've ever known was destroyed."

"I don't know, Rin." Obito sighed. Rin's presence seemed to calm him. His breathing slowed and his thoughts came clearer. "If…we ever go back, we'll all be certainly be killed." Flashes of the Three Tails destroying Konohagakure and almost everyone that inhabited it echoed in his mind. "I can't let that happen again. I will not let any more lives be taken away." Rin's warm hand reached his, and Obito took it, curling his fingers around hers. "I have to find a way," he whispered.

"I believe in you, Obito." Rin's voice was strong. She looked at him with trusting eyes, steeled with determination. "I believe you'll find a way. I know you can."

"Why do you have so much faith in me?" Obito rasped. _I don't understand you, Koriyama-san. Why…? _"It's like when you believed in – " Obito was about to say Kakashi, but he held his tongue just in time. Rin looked sadly at him.

"I just do, Obito. Just like I did with Kakashi."

"Rin…my sister said that I was already Hokage. What did she mean?"

"A Hokage is a leader, right? His or her people believe in them, and they protect their people from harm." Rin smiled at him. Her eyes seemed to be shining. "You are Hokage, Obito, because you are everything a Hokage is. You _are _Hokage in everything except name." Rin edged closer to him, and Obito saw with surprise that blush was faintly covering her cheeks. She whispered, "You are…my Hokage, Obito."

To say Obito was stunned was understatement. He couldn't move. It seemed that shock was coursing through his body from Rin's confession. Did she really say what she thought she said? He had been waiting for this moment since he was six years old. But instead of grinning cockily and aiming for a kiss as the old Obito would have done, the present Obito smiled fondly at Rin and whispered a faint thank you to her. The two of them were silent for a couple moments and stayed there until Kushina-_san _came to look for them and yelled of how scatterbrained they were to their current situation.

The situation wasn't solved. Koriyama-_san_'s words refocused in Obito's mind. _"Sometimes you have to do what your people want, even though it goes against your morals and your beliefs."_ He still didn't so the thirteen survivors surmised that they had to leave at dawn. Obito felt groggy as he was awoken. He started to smile once he realized that the person shaking him was Rin, but the smile faltered when he realized how frightened she looked.

"Obito, hurry! There's a missing-nin looking for you at the entrance of the village. …He wants to speak with you…the leader of the Konohagakure refugees, and he says his name is…Orochimaru."


	10. Orochimaru

_Orochimaru_

_ "__…He wants to speak with you…the leader of the Konohagakure refugees, and he says his name is…Orochimaru."_ Obito had only blinked the sleep out of his eyes when he realized how dire the situation was. Although Obito's mind remained fragmented on _who _the person was, he recalled that the person who was asking for him had been an enemy of Konohagakure. Apparently he had left the village not long after the Second Shinobi World War. Obito didn't know why. _"A shinobi who intentionally leaves his village is labeled an enemy, Obito. Be sure to remember that." _Kakashi hadn't had much respect for him, nor patience. His explanations were vague and didn't go into much detail. It was Rin, who had calmed down by the time Obito had stood and was about to walk out the door, who had explained why a missing-nin named Orochimaru had left Konohagakure. _"He was experimenting on shinobi of various ranks, trying to find a secret to everything and anything, including immortality. Be careful, Obito. He's one of the Sannin." _Rin had wanted to come with Obito, but the young Uchiha had refused. _I told her it was better to watch over and protect everyone else. He may make our deaths earlier than we had planned…and I'm not letting that happen._

The streets were deserted as Obito walked to the entrance of the village. No one was there except him. Obito was about to turn back when he saw no presence at the gate, but suddenly a tall shinobi – coupled with a young boy – appeared in front of him.

_ Fast!_ Obito thought. The shinobi had extremely pale skin and waist-length black hair. Amber eyes seemed to follow his every movement even though he wasn't moving. The most curious thing about his appearance was that there were two purple markings around his eyes, making him look like a snake. A purple rope was tied around his waist, and Obito observed that the young boy beside him was wearing a similar attire. The boy had light gray hair and wore round glasses. Although the older shinobi – Orochimaru – appeared very pleased and intrigued, the boy's face was expressionless.

"I see I have finally met Hashirama's heir." Orochimaru spoke in a high raspy voice that sent shivers down Obito's spine. "How exciting. I'm intrigued how half of your body can simply be replaced and can produce the strongest kekkei genkei I've ever researched. It is known as mokuton." Orochimaru licked his lips, his tongue appearing forked. _Who's Hashirama? And…_

"Who's Hashirama? And what do you know about this mokuton?"

"Ku ku. I guess Konohagakure doesn't enlighten the children about their founder's name. I meant didn't, didn't I? What a shame." Orochimaru smiled at Obito then, causing the young Uchiha to shudder. _It doesn't seem he cares about Konohagakure's fate at all. _That made him angry. "Senju Hashirama was the founder of Konohagakure along with Uchiha Madara, and could use mokuton, which could create wood or even complete trees. It was also the only jutsu that could tame a Tailed Beast." Shock jolted through Obito as he heard Uchiha Madara's name. A memory resurfaced. He remembered the despair that had coursed through him as the Three Tails destroyed the village that no longer was, and of how his rage had caused _something _to come out of him. That had been the first time Obito had used mokuton, he realized then, and the memories came in finer detail. The young shinobi looked down at his left side and stared at his body in amazement. _Why'd he give me this in the first place?_

"Now I see that you understand. That power, you used it to tame the Three Tails. You hold immense power, Uchiha, including the Sharigan you have in your right eye. Purely magnificent!" Orochimaru smiled deviously before appearing calm again. "That is not what I came here for, though. I intend to use the land you and the survivors have refuged in to create a village called Otogakure."

"Otogakure?"

"Otogakure, a village where people like Kabuto can find their purpose. People such as you. You defied the mission Kirigakure thought they had succeeded in, have you not? You can find a purpose with me, Obito-_kun_. You will protect everyone, I'm certain. Your dream to become Hokage has fallen to ashes. You can find a new dream with me. Come, and don't be afraid." When Obito remained silent and didn't move, Orochimaru moved forward to him and whispered in his ear. "Wouldn't your precious Rin want this? She has suffered so much. Being used as a pawn in another's game, destroying the village she loved against her will, and enduring the hardship of being a jinchuuriki. Your love for her will only go so far, Obito-_kun_. I will take care of her…and of you and everyone else."

Hearing Orochimaru speak Rin's name made Obito want to be sick. His words were slick with charmed words and Obito half-believed them. He would have had he not remembered Kakashi's words. _"A shinobi who intentionally leaves his village is labeled an enemy, Obito. Be sure to remember that." I won't let anything happen to Rin. _Obito remembered carrying an emotionally devastated Rin from their destroyed village, and of how anguished and guilt-ridden her screams were. _I'll do anything to not hear those screams again…but not in the way _he _wants._

"My friend Kakashi said that I should never trust a missing-nin. The only reason why I'm following this is because he was smarter than me…and he was a fine jōnin. Something else tells me not to trust you though. You have the same kind of aura that someone I knew had. I don't trust it. I don't trust you."

Orochimaru didn't seem visibly displeased by Obito's decision. In fact, he seemed to relish Obito's answer. "Very well. I thought as much. You do still have the Will of Fire in you after all that has happened. If you still insist on fighting and unwilling to give up this piece of land, I will destroy it. Just like Konohagakure." Orochimaru started to walk away from Obito and abruptly stopped after a couple of feet. The boy named Kabuto stayed still after following his master. "I will give you an hour. No more and no less. Remember this well." Then the two disappeared."

* * *

"Obito, you only have an hour to decide before Orochimaru destroys the village?"

"Yes," said Obito shortly. He was aware of Rin's arm eyes on him, searching for answers, and of his sister's serious expression as she absorbed the information that Obito had told the thirteen survivors and the village elders. Kushina-_san_ was fuming, his hands clenched into fists, but it was Hyūga Hisashi who spoke.

"The Sandaime should have killed Orochimaru when he had the chance," he said.

"Do not speak ill of the dead, Hisashi-_san_," Koriyama-_san _stated patiently. She looked towards the direction towards Obito. "What will you do, young one?"

Obito had an answer to this question since he had made his decision to protect the villages and whatever was left of Konohagakure. "I will fight him."

_"Iie!"_

The shouts came from three different women. Rin was looking at Obito with pleading eyes, tears threatening to spill, her mouth quivering. Kushina-_san _appeared to be angry and proud at the same time. However, Mikoto stood and walked towards her younger brother.

"I guess it was just a reflex to shout that one word even though I know you will fight Orochimaru no matter what happens." Her eyes crinkled sadly. "You're so much like our parents. You're fighting to protect what is important to you, and to do what is right. But Obito, I cannot lose you again. I cannot feel the despair of losing my beloved youngest _ototou _again. Nor can any of these people. You are our leader Obito, and we need our leader to survive. So…promise us that you will come back."

"I will come back, _oneechan_. I promise. _Mina, ore wa yakusoku!_"

As Obito looked at the shinobi and civilians alike one last time, he was about to walk away when he felt a familiar hand enclose his own. "Rin?"

"I know I can't help you in this battle, Obito, but I will defend my life if…anything goes awry. _Watashi wa yakusoku shimasu_. And I won't let anything happen to your family!" Rin looked at him fiercely, no longer the desperate girl she had been moments ago. Obito squeezed Rin's hand gently.

"It won't come to that. It will never come to that. I made a promise, didn't I? A promise can never be broken. And…I love you, Rin. _Ai shiteru_." At that moment, Obito let go of Rin's hand and started to run to where Orochimaru had retreated.

Rin's sweet voice calling his name echoed in his ears.


End file.
